September in the Meadows
AT THYME
September is a time of change in the meadows and our challenge is to ensure it continue as a wonderful habitat for wildlife and in particular our beloved barn owls through the winter. Timing is critical when it comes to cutting the water meadows. As the name suggests, the ground is wet for most of the year, with late summer being the only opportunity to drive machinery on the land. We want to encourage as much spread of wild flower seed and to protect the birds that may be nesting in the hedgerows and grasses, such as the Reed Warblers we have here at Thyme.
Emily, who oversees the farm, gives an account of the 45 acre meadows as we enter the new season. Emily and the team have been working through the night to make hay before the rains and accompanying flood waters fill the meadows.
Working with West Oxfordshire farmland birds we have gained a wonderful insight into the many varied species of birds that make the meadows their home and this informs how we can best manage them. We have seen all five species of native British owl in and around the water meadows this year and in particular I have watched the barn owls every day hunting silently and bravely and have understandably become extremely fond of them. I have learnt that they are hunting throughout the day not because they are hungry but because they reared six chicks, a rare achievement and a testament to the the wonderfully abundant hunting ground our meadows provide.
We have planned very carefully when and where to cut ensuring we have left plenty of long uncut areas of grassland including 12 meter margins along the river, creating a 24 meter wide corridor for all manner of wildlife. .This ensures the winter meadow landscape continues to provide shelter and foraging for all manner of species of resident animals and birds and encouraging winter visitors such as snipe and water rail.
Meadowlands evolve over time and how and how they are managed informs this change. We will be scattering seed gathered from areas rich in wild flowers and look forward to next year when I am sure there will be many more stories of flora and fauna to tell.
Left: Meadows in the Spring
Right: Following the September cut
Thought piece by Emily Bedford, with thanks to Olly Fox and Nick Durnford for his careful attention to detail in what has been a challenging operation.
